It's Very Domestic Around Here...

Many of you will recall my jubilant posts from around this time last year when Tom and I found the Mint House. We were giddy with anticipation of a yard for homer, a guest room and lack of loud neighbors sharing walls or ceilings with us. We have also found that our little urban spread has provided us plenty of space to indulge the dormant "Little House on the Prairie" aspects of our personalities. For instance, we have been...

Gardening. I know this isn't news to most of you, but the garden plays a central role in our lives now. We must water it daily due to the lack of rain fall and scorching triple digit heat that has beset the region. There is also the weeding, the trellising and staking. But all that work is so worth it. We picked 3 eggplants last week, several handfuls of green beans and our first watermelon! Nothing is better than celebrating Independence Day with a watermelon from your own garden.

Composting. Tom and I fill our one-gallon counter top compost bin, and that gets dumped into our large composter outside on a weekly basis. Not only do we prevent a good deal of our food scraps from going into the landfill, but the amazing soil we produce goes straight back into the garden to feed our plants.

Canning and Preserving. The lack of rain, and amount of time and energy we spend on the garden has inspired us to try and make sure none of goods coming out of the garden go to waste.  While Tom is charged with making pesto and preserving our herbs, I have been canning nearly every weekend. The summer preserving started with a batch of spiced beets (which are so amazing on a salad with goat cheese that we are planning a special winter crop of beets so I can put up more jars.) I have also been trying my hand at pickling, with some escabeche-style spicy carrots and a batch of garlic dill cucumber pickles. Last weekend, with several pounds of ripe figs on the trees in our front yard, I took some time to cook up some fig, port and rosemary jam. The rosemary was also from the garden, of course. It tasted amazing, and is going to make a yummy addition to a future cheese tray. I think I will be doing some balsamic pickled figs in the weeks to come, and am contemplating pickled watermelon rind.

Cheese Making. Okay, we haven't actually done this yet, but last week I purchased the book Home Cheese Making, along with a starter cheese making kit. I am going to start with a basic mozzarella soon, but am hoping to experiment with other cheeses as I gain my confidence. You all wouldn't believe how easy cheese making actually is... at least that is what I am telling myself.

Alinea Part Three: Sweets and What I Learned (v5)

Did you catch Part One: Lighter Beginnings, and Part Two: Meat and Truffles?

At this point in the meal, we are satisfied, and pretty full (though not in pain). But don't worry, four dessert courses ought to fix that...

COURSE 15: Snow

We are told by our waitstaff that the metal top portion of this cone is dipped in liquid nitrogen, then an atomizer is used to spritz yuzu juice onto it, creating flavored snow. The we diners just need to use our spoon to scoop it off, almost like an upscale snow cone. It is very cold, tart and sweet, and is very pure yuzu flavor. It is the perfect savory to sweet transition, as it works brilliantly to cleanse the palate.

COURSE 16: Sweet Potato

This course definitely goes on my top favorites list, and was my favorite dessert dish when considered solely based on taste (you will understand what this means after you read about #18.) It is basically these dollops of what I would call sweet potato pudding, with some sort of graham cracker-like brown sugar crumble, and that little white cloud is cayenne flavored cotton candy. There are also these self-contained little bubbles of bourbon. Oh, and the whole thing is set upon a cedar plank that was very recently on fire. Oh my word. It was beyond description. The sweet potato flavor mixed with the slightly spicy-sweet cotton candy... and the smell of the cedar... and then the little bourbon bubble explodes in your mouth. The fact that I will never eat this again brings on a heavy sense of enui. 

COURSE 17: Lemongrass

This little clear tube is filled with liquid (comprised mainly of lemongrass, cucumber and finger lime) which is held in on one side by a plug of dragon fruit, and on the other by a lime gel. We are asked to inhale from one end of the tube to draw the contents into our mouths. I do this, and nearly have the contents explode from my mouth, not unlike a bourbon bubble or black truffle ravioli.  I am not prepared for the amount of pressure it takes to free the lime gel, and I think the contents of the tube are just a little more voluminous than my mouth can comfortably handle. I am pretty sure I look like an inflated blowfish for 15 seconds, as I chew furiously and try to keep my lips clamped as tightly shut as possible. It is another clean, bright flavor combo, perfect to sandwich between two rich desserts. Very delicious. Very nearly embarrassing.

COURSE 18: Chocolate

It all started with a waiter asking Tom to move to the banquette next to me (a better vantage point for us to watch the show, he said). Then he laid out a silicone mat that covered the entire table. Several little dishes filled with unknown delights were set at the edge and then we waited. I have been reading in recent months about how the final course of the Alinea tour menu is plated by a chef from the kitchen, directly on your table. This knowledge in no way prepares me for the moment Grant Achatz is standing in front of us, asking us about our night, and describing, in detail, the food he is laying out on our table. It is haute cuisine meets modern art meets performance art and I am a huge fan. 

The first thing chef Achatz does is lay out two clear, open ended tubes that are about 2" in diameter. He proceeds to pour a creamy looking liquid in, and diverts our attention by laying out the other components. He applies the saucy border to our table top masterpiece, consisting of a blueberry puree, a lightly whipped cream sweetened with Wisconsin honey, and a milk chocolate sauce. Tom and I are delighted that the chocolate is the exact consistency to where it forms into squares when applied. The chef then pours out some piles of chocolate and peanut dust. Then come the little squares of peanut nougat. Then whole blueberries which he tells us have been pickled in red wine. Next, a smoking plate is brought in, which Grant tells us is chocolate mouse frozen in liquid nitrogen. It is the size of a large brick, and he places it in the and proceeds to break it apart with something.. a small hammer maybe? He tops this large pile with a sprinkling of green a purple basil leaves. And just when we had forgotten all about them, he removes the clear tubes, whose liquid interior has magically set up into creme brulee. A torch appears, and after a quick sprinkle of sugar, he caramelizes the top of the custard.  

I want to rave about the meal, but the chef comes across as impossibly shy, and I think to myself that I don't want to make him uncomfortable. He gives a little bow before departing and we thank him enthusiastically for blowing our minds.

The course is simply delicious. The sauces are sweet and rick, the mouse is so light despite being frozen. Basil plus chocolate is delightful, more so when you add blueberries.  The peanut nougat is chewy and also somehow soft.  We quickly turn the beautiful plating in to a muddled mess, and I will admit to having run my finger through the leftovers that my spoon just couldn't pick up (after all, I am eating off the table!)

We are stuffed to the gills and in something of a food trance. We easily, happily, let go of nearly a month's rent when the bill comes, leaving our service team of at least a half dozen the largest tip I have ever conceived. We slowly wander back downstairs where the maitre'd remembers we took a cab and has already sent a porter out to hail one for us. In the mean time, we are invited to stand at the glass wall of the kitchen to watch the goings on. It is quiet, methodical and beautiful. Much like our meal.

It was an enlightening and entertaining evening, and to round things out, a special Alina edition of What I Learned:
1. I probably wouldn't go back.  The food, service and wine are all impeccable, but it is a significant investment of funds, and besides, I have my eye set on other culinary destinations (The French Laundry, Next, Per Se, Le Bernadin, The Fat Duck...
2. Texture is king. Texture is immensely important to me when it comes to judging the success of a dish. It can make or break a dish. And Temperature can, and probably will, delight me.
3. I want foie. I love truffles, but if I am going to pay so very much for a high end meal, I wish the chef would include a little fatted liver. I honestly missed it.
4. There is always room for dessert. And on a related note, I think people who say they leave this restaurant still hungry are full of shit. 

Alinea Part Two: Meat and Truffles

Did you catch Part One: Lighter Beginnings?

We are getting into heartier territory with the next seven courses. I estimate Tom and I have already been eating for about 2 hours at this point...

COURSE 8: Wild Mushrooms

The service team sets down our plates and I immediately get all squirmy and start saying "Morels, Tom! Look, morels. There are morels!" Before I even taste it, I have an inkling that this dish will join Scallop and English Pea Pt. 1 on my top dishes list: it smells divine. And the taste of the food does not disappoint. The morel flavor is outstanding, and they are joined on the dish by more pretty little woodland mushrooms. The paired flavors include ramps and red wine. This makes perfect sense for the earthy and savory mushrooms on the plate.  Both lend their own savory quality, while also adding a bit of sweetness and acidity to brighten the dish. Also an inspiring choice, are notes of sumac and pine. The whole thing takes me right back to mushroom hunting in the woods of Missouri when I was a kid (where I grew up not realizing that the grocery bags full of morels that we would routinely find each spring would have fetched several hundreds of dollars in the morel bereft parts of the country.)

COURSE 9: Hot Potato Cold Potato

Fuck yeah! I have been dreaming of this dish for years. It's an Achatz signature, and has been one of the few permanent members of his menu for a long while. It also happens to be featured in the Alinea cookbook, which I received for Christmas a few years back. Anyone want to come over some time and try our hand at this dish? Oh, you want to know how it tasted? Okay, the little wax bowl is filled with a cool potato soup. Skewered onto that metal pin are an impressive slice of black truffle, an orb of hot potato, a little chive, a small cube of butter and a bit of parmesean cheese. You pull the pin, which releases the garnishes into the little bowl, and shoot it back. It's so good. No surprise that potato, butter, truffle and cheese would be a divine pairing, but what is really lovely about this dish is the temperature difference between the soup and the orb. I know that is the point, and they nail it. The orb is piping hot on your tongue, and mingles with the cool soup and it is just wonderful. Super YUM.

COURSE 10: Short Rib

Those red, flag like things (which arrived to our table around the time the English Pea was dropped off, and can be also seen in the Hamachi photo) became the wrapper for this next dish. This serving piece was the most intricate of all we saw during our meal, and I think four separate waiters were required (two for each of us). The frosted glass covers the wood base. When a waiter removes the glass, they reveal these two metal supports which we, the diners, had to put together. When connected, the two supports form a little platform system that a waiter then places the tomato pasta flag on top of. Another waiter comes to serve a portion of slow-cooked short rib onto the pasta. Main waiter then tells us to build our own...what, burrito? Cannelloni? with the available garnishes above. Then wrap it up, and eat it with our hands. I am game. So we have tobacco gelee (on the spoon), tomato vinaigrette, nicoise olives, fermented garlic, dried cherries, a fresh black berry, smoked salt and one or two other things I cannot remember. Suffice it to say I used everything except a bit of the tomato vinaigrette and some of the smoked salt. This was lovely. It has been a very long time since I have eaten any red meat, but I opted to do so for this experience, because I see Grant Achatz as an artist, and I wanted to have the full experience he was offering to his guests. Anyhow, it was amazing. The pasta was delicate, the short rib was rich and so tender, the tomato vinaigrette was fresh and bright and very tomatoey, the tobacco gelee a revelation of smooth and woody notes, and the fermented garlic bitter and savory. Olives to add a punch of saltiness, and the fruit add their own sweet counter point to all the goodness. We eat, with gusto, from our own hands, and are then served warm hand towels like we are on a flight to Europe. Very classy.

COURSE 11: Black Truffle Explosion

This, with the potato, is the other signature dish that chef Achatz seems to keep on the menu pretty much permanently. It's another classic from the cook book, but this is a dish I have known about for far longer, as the chef was already making waves with it way back when he was cooking at Trio as early as 2001. But I digress. It is a ravioli, in which the chef has somehow managed to contain a hot liquified truffle essence. On top, you will notice a small garnish of romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese. Oh, and more truffle, in case the inside isn't indulgently truffley for you.  I take my bite and instantly want a plate of 6 of these. The ravioli explodes in your mouth when you bite down, and you can no longer see or hear, all you perceive is truffles. It permeates your senses with its deliciousness.

COURSE 12: Agneau (Fr. for lamb)

Those of you who are foodies may know that Grant Achatz has recently opened a new restaurant called Next, which for the next four months will focus solely on the cuisine of famed French culinary pioneer Escoffier. This dish is the one on our tour menu at Alinea that nods to this style of cooking that chef Achatz has recently been exploring. Our venture into Paris 1906 was quite memorable. The plate features roasted lamb atop a little brioche crouton. This is topped with "sauce choron" which is apparently bearnaise. The plate also had those little pomme de terre noisette which are apparently just potato which have been scooped out into little balls. The dish was quite good, and although I am not by any means a meat expert, for my taste the lamb was cooked really well. The texture was nice, not too chewy, but it was quite rare. There was also jus on the plate, and some extra blobs of the choron, in case you like it saucy, which I do. The dish was highlighted with antique service ware. It was a beautiful presentation, and delicious.

COURSE 13: Venison

This is the point at which I am starting to hit food fatigue. We are closing in on three hours of dining at this point, and while not full, I am feeling pretty sated. This may explain why this dish was just okay for me. I love the idea of pairing meat with something sweet, and in this dish, you have a piece of venison with cherry and cocoa nib.  The little piece of meat is nestled below a bed of eucalyptus leaves.  Chef Achatz loves to play with scent, obviously, and the eucalyptus does match the other flavors nicely. Flavor-wise, I am digging it, but I end up feeling like the venison is sort of mealy in texture.

COURSE 14: Octopus

When the waiter says octopus, I get nervous, as I have never traditionally liked octopus. Turns out this is mostly because other restaurants can't surpass the texture hurdle. The last time I ate it, I chewed for several minutes before giving up and just swallowing the bit. This is not our experience. The octopus itself has a... bouncy... texture, but it is easily chewed and tastes nice with the eggplant and redwine flavors the chef has paired with it.  Dish Fun Fact #1: the bowl it is served in is rounded at the bottom so you can't set it on the table. And if you wanted to try, you cant, because the fork throws off the balance. Dish Fun Fact #2: Our friend Pat ate at Alinea exactly a week before us, and instead of serving this dish at the end of the heartier, more savory dishes, he got his between the razor clam and short rib dishes.

And with that, my friends, we end the salty, earthy, savory and hearty portion of our meal. Follow me to Part Three: Sweets

Alinea Part One: Lighter Beginnings

As promised, I am writing today to try and convey to you, my dear dozens, what exactly went down on June 8 at Alinea.  In line with my expectations, it was without a doubt the most entertaining, surprising and expensive meals of my life.

I should note before we really begin that neither Tom nor I took any notes or photos while dining. It was a conscious decision we both made, opting instead to just enjoy the damn meal and concentrate on every bite. Hence, none of these photos below are mine. I took them all from the public sharing section of Picasa. Thanks to Pat King for finding many of them first!

To set the scene a bit: Tom and I had reserved a room downtown at the Knickerbocker for our last evening in Chicago. We checked in early, hung around lazily that afternoon getting hungry and excited, and then got ourselves all dressed up. We hailed a cab who took us the short way to this mysterious black brick building, unmarked but for the valet parking sign that sometimes adorns the sidewalk. We are greeted like celebrities, and seated immediately, despite arriving 15 minutes early.

COURSE 1: Steelhead Roe

The base is this tart and creamy grapefruit and rutabaga soup, with the roe scattered through it. Those little white things that look like scallops were actually these pillows of dijon mustard flavored custard. The textures were amazing, and the flavors were unlike anything I have ever had. Bright citrus, earthy mustard and the little pops of salty fish eggs. Our spoons scraped the bottom, and I had to restrain myself from sticking my finger in the bowl to get the last bits (not knowing that soon, all such reservations would be gone). It was a bold opener. Game on!

COURSE 2: Yuba

Tom and I are calling this the most amazing bar snack ever.  The dish is about 8-10 inches long, and stands straight up with a little help from the savory sauce below it, in a pretty ceramic dish. What you are actually looking at is a crispy yuba stick (yuba is the skin that forms when you make tofu) wrapped in shrimp that are coated in black and white sesame seeds. You just grab the stick and eat, re-dipping into the dish of sauce frequently. Miso and togarashi were also main components of this dish. It was a little salty, and very forwardly umami/savory. And again, the textures were so amazing. The shrimp, of course, were perfectly cooked. Give me a dozen more, and a cold pint and I'm good!

COURSE 3: Oyster Leaf

This was one of those moments where we were amused, and perhaps a little perplexed. The serving team sets courses 3-5 in front of us at the same time, and again, no silverware. They were a beautiful and striking trio of dishes. We take the Oyster Leaf first, which appears to be a single piece of baby spinach toped with traditional mignonette (you know: shallots, salt, citrus, etc), served in an oyster shell. Not impressive Achatz. Something must be up, and our server soon fills us in: There is a plant called oysterleaf, and of course, this uncommon beauty grows only on the wild cliffs of Scotland, where they bask in the salty sea air. Also, when you eat it, you will notice a pronounced fresh oyster flavor. I have been to New Orleans four times in my life, and on each occasion have eaten no fewer than a dozen fresh, raw oysters (not to mention the countless other dozens that were barbecued, baked, etc). So, not expecting much, I shoot it back. Shut my mouth. It does, indeed, taste like fresh oysters. But I am missing the creaminess and strongly oceany taste of the real thing. I also cannot get over the texture (a common problem when eating oysters I am told, though I have never experienced it until this point.) Despite the prevalence of foams, liquid nitrogen and other tricks throughout the meal this seems like the most gimmicky, and least satisfying dish of the night. 

COURSE 4: Scallop

Before I start, I want to say this is one of my favorite dishes of the night. It is one of the more simple preparations (after all, that is just a perfectly cooked sea scallop, served in a sea scallop shell) but the flavors were so ingenious that I fell in love. And, if my dear bestie Camilla had been dining with us, I have no doubt this preparation may have awoken a few distant food memories for her. Okay, so the food is simply a slightly cooked sweet sea scallop with a hitachino weizen foam (this is a wheat beer) and Old Bay infused oil. But oh my god is it good. 

COURSE 5: Razor Clam

I can't find a picture of it opened, but inside here you will find (grilled?) razor clams, with carrot, soy and daikon. It's a great combination. The sauce that coats the whole mixture reminds me, in the best way, of Eel Sauce. The clams are just the right amount of chewy, and it's fun to watch your partner use their finger to slide the contents down their waiting gullet. Yes, we are at the restaurant recently named the best on the continent. Yes, we are eating with our fingers... a lot.

COURSE 6: English Pea

This is considered a single course by the kitchen, but is made of three distinct dishes/experiences. They set a spherical, multi-level white ceramic dish in front of us which contains a different dish in each level.  Let's call it an exploration of temperature. 

I don't particularly love peas, but the first dish will prove to be my favorite of the trip, and will put me in a good mindset to experience the rest. It is a warm pea puree, with pea tendrils and pea vinaigrette. I am wondering to myself how in the heck they got fresh pea shoots so late in the season, when I remember that while pea season may be long gone in Austin, it is still spring in the Midwest. The puree is so nicely salty, it balances the pronounced sweetness of the peas. The tendrils are delicate and crunchy, and it is just a satisfying and savory few bites. The flavors are really pleasing. Bring on more peas! 

Or maybe not. This is my least favorite dish of the entire evening. This course is served room temperature, and it contains a crazy and beautiful mess of stuff inside, including freeze dried peas, chamomile gelee, something I would call a pea cracker (I am guessing dehydrated pea puree) there are also some dried pea leaves maybe? And something that probably began as greek yogurt. Guys, it tasted so gross to me. The freeze dried peas are so sweet as to taste like candy, which just doesn't work for my palate in conjunction with the other flavors here. Everything else was fine as far as flavors go, but I couldn't get passed those sugary peas. We all have different palates, so I wont argue that this is probably a delicious taste for some, but for me... yuck. 

Pea redemption is a dish best served very cold. Here we have pea soup which is frozen to the walls of the vessel, so it becomes sorbet-like in texture. It is topped with frozen crumbles of greek yogurt and a little apple something to round out the flavors. This dish is quite yummy. It's a nice exploration of the sweeter side of peas, without going so far into candy land as with the middle dish. And the fact that it is served ice cold is so genius. The temperature really compliments the clean and crisp flavors of this dish. Also cool how it all becomes liquid shortly after hitting your mouth.

We end up 2 out of 3 for the pea exploration, so good on you, Grant. 

COURSE 7: Hamachi

The service team sets these funny little service vessels in front of us which hold some manner of fried puff that has been skewered with a warm vanilla bean. We are told it is hamachi with banana and ginger. The fish itself is very mild and buttery, and the tropical flavors paired with it are perfection. The bite itself has been lightly fried, so obviously that is yummy. The smell of the warm vanilla bean while you take your bite makes the whole thing seem very indulgent. This course was most definitely a hit. Who wouldn't love food that is served on your very own vanilla bean pod? Maybe we will put this (along with the yuba dish) on our bar menu. 

With the introduction of these rich flavors, I can tell we are moving into heartier territory. Jump to Alinea Part Two to learn about the portion of the meal I like to call Meat and Truffles. 

What I Learned v2

1. Sometimes side-effects are the lesser of two evils. I have been struggling with digestive problems for about 15 years now (yes, fully half of my life) and last week I went to see a specialist who thinks he has figured out a way to help me cope. Two pills a day, and in theory, my body should start functioning more like a "normal body." I started the medication a week ago, and while it may still be a bit too early to tell, all indications are that this medicine is going to change my life. Unfortunately, I am feeling the full force of the medicine's side effects which include dry eyes, dry mouth, and a decreased ability to sweat. This has me drinking tons of water, and rubbing at my eyes praying for the end of the work day to come so I can take out my contacts.


2. Graduation week is one of the most exciting times to work at a University. Today we graduated our 2011 class of BSN, MSN and PhD Nursing students. Graduation is one of the few tangible reminders of why I am working so hard for so little pay, slagging through the bureaucracy of a major University System and the silly red-tape that goes along with being an employee of one of the most backwards states in the Union.


3. I have taken too many good books for granted recently.  Many of my recent reads have been really excellent (A Visit from the Goon Squad and Loving Frank, to name two). Well imagine my shock when I broke that streak with the forgettable The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. This book has reminded me that not all popular, highly recommended books are actually interesting and well written. To be fair, I am only 3 chapters in, but those first few chapters have been klunky and have almost completely failed to capture my interest. I am going to keep on for at least a few more chapters, but I may not make it through this one.


4. Hot Doug's will reopen just in time for my arrival to Chicago! I ain't too proud to admit that I am a fan of Hot Doug's on the FB. Recently they posted about closing for vacation near the Memorial Day holiday, which nearly sent me into a full-throttle panic. Thankfully, Doug has the good sense to re-open the restaurant the day that Tom and I arrive to Chicago for our Midwest tour.  All Hail Hot Doug's!


5. The Dirty Sanchez is the best taco in existence. End of discussion. In my now infamous queso blog, I expounded on the virtues of Torchy's Tacos' amazing queso dip. I know the name is vile, but I am here to tell you that their Dirty Sanchez taco is the absolute best taco on earth. I have been in Austin for nearly two years (and eaten at Torchy's a few dozen times) but had never tried the Sanchez until last Friday night. Scrambled Egg, a fried pobano chile, guacamole, escabeche carrots, and cheese. Heaven.

What I Learned v.1

Hey friends! It should be no surprise to you by now that I am having trouble keeping up with the blog thing. I will blame it partly on an unusually busy few months at work, and partly on feeling like the new car smell has worn off of my Austin adventure. Few things lately seem worthy of the full blog treatment, so I am going to try something new here that I think will help me meet the demands of my adoring readership of dozens.  I am happy to present the new weekly feature What I Learned.

I have seen this kind of thing work wonders on other blogs. From the always funny Awkward/Awesome frequently seen at my friend Stephanie's Big Mario Life to the always admirable Happy Thoughts at cousin Molly's blog A Foreign Land, these structured, reoccurring blog themes seem to be working well for the other bloggers in my life.

The list-like structure should be easy to maintain, and I hope it will also prove to be pressure free. And don't despair, I will still feature the occasional longer blog about awesome stuff in Austin, and photo montages of the amazing and beautiful things happening in my garden (do you have any idea how miraculous and beautiful baby watermelons are?) So... are you ready to find out what I learned this week?

What I Learned...
1. I am not lactose intolerant, or allergic to gluten, shellfish or tree nuts. I am, however, blessed with a spasmodic set of intestines. Thankfully, there is a pill for that.

2. Bevo rides in style. Last Thursday I spied the Silver Spurs's big burnt orange truck rolling down MLK Blvd here in Austin. The big fancy trailer that carries the UT Longhorns's iconic mascot was attached. I got really excited when I realized that Bevo was actually in the trailer. I love Bevo. Honestly, I might join the fan club.

3. I will be really sad to see the 2011 MFA Playwrights graduate. So many of our friends will be leaving Austin within the next few weeks, and that sucks.

4. No matter how many times I meet him, it seems that Beeven Bietz is always going to make me feel a little star struck. And that is so embarrassing.

5. I am geeking out over our upcoming reservation to Alinea. Tom and I will be in Chicago for a little vacay in about a month, and we are splurging big-time on a dinner at Alinea. This week I read the new memoir written by Alinea's Chef, Grant Achatz. It took my excitement level off the charts. You can expect a long blog about the experience sometime later in June!

Family Food Memories/Traditions

Day: 478
High Temp: 56F

With the recent frequent mentions of pies on my blog (and one more to come!) I was so excited to check out my cousin Molly's blog, A Foreign Land, this morning to see that she has recently posted a video paying homage to one of my absolute favorite family foods from back in the day: the smoked oyster. Molly's video blog can be found here. Please watch it, if only to see how adorable she is.

Every word of Molly's story of the smoked oyster tradition is true. And I am not too proud to admit that I would scarf pretty much as many of these as I could, often until my mom would yell at me to lay off. We always had these at extended family gatherings, but sometimes my mom and dad would buy some for us us. I remember eating them alone (on a toothpick), or on a cracker, with a fairly thick coating of cream cheese. To die for.

You may think that smoked oysters are an unlikely candidate for the favorite foods list of an eight year old, but I can guarantee you that these gems would have made my top ten back in the day. And now I can thank Molly for inspiring me to revisit this beloved family culinary memory. They are on the grocery list for next week for sure!

Any odd or not so odd family food traditions you want to share?

Chocolate Cream Pie

Day: 476
High Temp: Honestly, I cant find anywhere to tell me how warm it was today, but trust me, it was warm. I was wearing a tank top to water the garden and was getting sweaty.

Chocolate Cream Pie is a Becker family tradition. When I started celebrating Thanksgiving with Tom's family far away in California, I took the tradition with me. Honestly, I think it is the sole reason the Horans love me as much as they do...

Ingredients
1 baked pie crust
1 1/4 C Sugar
1/2 C Flour
1/4 C Cocoa Powder
Dash of Salt
4 Egg Yolks
2 C Milk (go ahead, use whole milk!)
1/4 C Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 C Whipped Cream (I like to make it from scratch, with a bit of brown sugar in it, but from the tub or the spray can is fine... I just think that stuff is a little too sweet to truly serve this pie)

Mise en place!!!

1. Combine Sugar, Flour, Cocoa and Salt in a medium sauce pan, and set aside.

The dry stuff...

2. Combine Egg Yolks and Milk in a bowl.

...and the wet.

3. Add the wet stuff to the dry in the sauce pan, and whisk together. Then add the melted butter. A whisk will break up most of the lumps, but the rest will cook out.

4. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken and just starts to boil. It will thicken up even further as it cools.

Be careful to scrape the bottom well while cooking, so the
milk doesn't burn. I recommend a silicone-coated whisk.

5. Remove sauce pan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.

6. Spoon hot filling into baked pastry shell, and chill in the fridge until the pie is completely cooled and set.

The action shot!

And that, my friends, is it. You can make the pie up to a day in advance, just keep it in the fridge, lightly covered with plastic wrap. When you are ready so serve, top the pie with a thick layer of whipped cream. It is so amazing.  And if you don't like pie, make the filling and just eat it out of a ramekin with some whipped cream. For reals.

PW's Pumpkin Cream Pie

Day: 472
High Temp: 60F

For the past five years or so, Tom and I have spent every Thanksgiving with his family in California. This year, given time and financial restraints (mostly due to the wedding) we stayed in Austin. We were fortunate enough to be invited to one of Tom's fellow playwrights homes for the big meal, and oh did we feast. There was a fried turkey, dressing, pureed parsnips, a mashed potato bar, carrot soufflé, mashed sweet potatoes... shall I go on?

What about dessert, you ask? Well there were pies, of course. My pies to be exact. Now, normally I shun the pumpkin pie. Pie making can be tricky, and since I don't love pumpkin, I just skip it. Also, since we are normally with family, I just figure that if someone wants pumpkin badly enough, they know to make it themselves, or just enjoy my pies. This Thanksgiving, however, we were going to be with friends. And as we were guests, I figured it was important to represent the holiday classic with some sort of pumpkin dessert. Enter Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's Pumpkin Cream Pie. Go ahead, check it out.

Her photos are beautiful, her writing witty, and her recipe spot on. Mine turned out exactly as promised, even though it was my first time every making a graham cracker crust. And the addition of lots of cream, rich vanilla pudding and whiskey make this a pumpkin pie I will definitely go back to.

Stay tuned... later this week I will try my hand at food blogging for the first time when I post pics and recipes of the classic Becker chocolate cream pie and my personal favorite pie, raspberry cream with streusel topping.

Welcome to Marble Falls

Day: 468
High Temp: 55F

The weekend before Halloween, Tom and I took a day trip out to a little town northwest of Austin called Marble Falls. The plan was to pick pumpkins, tackle the giant Texas-shaped corn maze and eat some pie at a famous diner in town.

First off, the pie. It was around 12:30 when we arrived to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, and there was a fairly impressive line waiting for us. Thankfully it moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were next in line for a table, standing in front of a large bulletin board plastered with locals and (Texas) celebrities who love the pie. Among these Blue Bonnet enthusiasts, I spied Dubbya and Rick Perry. Not very appetizing, but we persevered.

This place is so retro chic.

Thinking that it was too early in the day to just order pie, Tom and I shared an omelette and some biscuits and gravy before deciding on the pie we would eat. It is a tough decision, too, because Blue Bonnet offers at least a dozen options each day, many with a mile high mound of meringue. We stayed classic, though. Tom opted for the apple, while I got the cherry.

Warm pie. 

The verdict? It was okay.  As a person who flatters myself to think I make a pretty damn good pie, it is kind of hard to impress me.  The crust was okay, but both the apple and cherry fillings seemed to be from a can. Maybe I am not being fair to Blue Bonnet... perhaps one of us should have went for a meringue, but honestly, I don't love meringue. Ultimately I would rather have a slice of my own apple pie over the stuff at Blue Bonnet any day. That said, I would be happy to stop back by Blue Bonnet to try some of the tempting cream pies they have next time I am in Marble Falls.

Once we had our fill of diner food, we made our way just a few miles out of town to Sweet Berry Farm, where the Harvest of Fall Fun was in full effect.  Tom and I perused a really great sample of different varieties of pumpkins before finally making a decision.  I love to go for the bumpy, mottled looking pumpkins, and here they were to be found in abundance.  Ultimately, we chose one big round classic Jack, two pimply, spotted Lunch Ladies, a small, smooth, ghostly white Lumina and a green stripy Caveman gourd.

The bounty of the Harvest. We'll take one of each!

With our pumpkins tucked safely in the back of Elly, we then traipsed over to the other side of the farm to partake in the legendary Texas Corn Maze (check out a birds eye view of the maze here- you have to click on Hay Field Maze 'Texas' because their website is a little odd and won't let me link directly to it.)

Each entrant is given a ticket with 12 locations that correspond to 12 check points check points hidden within the maze.  The locations are actual spots in Texas, and are located roughly within the Tsxas maze where you would find them on an actual Texas map. the object is to find all 12 and punch your ticket with the little hole puncher waiting at the check point. Each station has a different shape, so the workers can tell if you actually completed the task. If you do, you win a can of pop. It was hotter than it should be at the end of October, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so Tom and I didn't complete the maze. But we did have a lot of fun trying.

Corn stalks... as high as a giraffe's eye at least, I would say.
But then again, everything is bigger in Texas. 

There's no basement at the Alamo!

Day: 442
High Temp: 84F

I mentioned in the garden blog that my parents came down to Austin just after our wedding to visit Tom and I, and bring us the load of wedding presents we had received in St Louis. We had a great time showing them some of our new favorite food spots (Hoover's and Juan in a Million were big hits), and they loved getting a chance to see Homer now that he is all grown up.

My parents were planning to stay until Tuesday morning, and as the weekend drew to a close, I started getting pressure from them to take a vacation day on Monday. The big plan was to drive down to San Antonio for the day. Bowing to the pressure, and at the mercy of my extremely flexible boss at UT, I was able to make Monday happen.

San Antonio really surprised me.  I had always heard how amazing the River Walk was, and how disappointing the Alamo was. Truth is, both were very different from what I expected.

I know this is a silly thing to say, but for some reason, I expected the River Walk to be like the Arno in Florence. I expected a large, dominant river, lined on each side by wide side walks lined with old buildings houseing cafes, shops and the like. Lots of space and airy, all anchored by a large, wild river. The truth is, the River Walk is more reminiscent of Venice (are you rolling your eyes yet?)  It is small, the river is fairly shallow and it is extremely engineered with perfect concrete walls along each bank.  Seriously, it's not more than 12 feet across, and the sidewalks are very narrow. The overall affect was more man-made, more like Disneyland, than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, it is a very charming place, and walking below street level next to the water in the shade of the big cypress and oak trees is certainly a nice break from the heat, but it just wasn't what I expected. That said, I am excited to take Tom back to San Antonio around Christmas time, when the abundant trees, bridges and walkways are reportedly covered in lights. Sounds like the perfect setting for an evening river cruise with my sweetie and a thermos of spiked hot cocoa!

While in San Antone we also saw the Alamo, which was kind of awesome. I had been told that it wasn't as cool, or as big as you might expect, and so with my expectations sufficiently lowered, I thought it was great. It doesn't really look like it did in Pee Wee's big Adventure, at least not on the inside, but that did not stop me from proclaiming, many times, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" Thankfully, this was very amusing to my parents. But seriously, it's a big old building, with gorgeous gardens behind the barrack walls. There are also some cool artifacts, like Davey Crockett's rifle.

I also want to note that I actually heard someone call this fair city "San Antone"in all seriousness while we were there. We took a trolley tour to see a few of the old missions and some of the neighborhoods around the city, and this boisterous and entertaining pair of old ladies was on the bus with us. When one of them rudely answered her cellphone during the narrated tour, she proceeded to shout to her caller, "No, we are in San Antone!" Thankfully, our tour guide shamed her by saying he had learned it was rude to talk while others were talking. She got the point and hung up pretty quickly.

PS- I do have some pictures from this trip, but they are stuck on the throw away cameras we were trying to use up post-wedding... May come back and update the post if any turned out once I get them developed.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Day: 433
High Temp: 86F

My garden grows quite well, thank you very much!

On our second weekend at the Mint House, Tom and I planted a garden. There were already some raised beds in our side yard, so we went out and bought plants, seeds and lots of tools, and proceeded to break up the ground, fill the beds with compost and soil, and start planting.  There were still boxes that needed unpacking, and pictures that needed hanging, but we were playing in the dirt.

That was 12 weeks ago, and now our garden is really starting to produce (hee hee)!   From the very beginning, the serrano chili plant was producing (it was literally filled with serranos within two weeks). But it was just last weekend that some of our first plants in the ground started to bear veggies.

Serranos ripening on the vine!

On Sunday, I harvested a big pile of green beans, and one large, beautiful yellow summer squash.  These were veggies we grew from seeds, with absolutely no fertilizer except compost, and they are delicious. The green beans went into a shepard's pie for dinner, and my mom (who, along with my dad, was visiting us last weekend) sliced and fried up the squash for an appetizer.

Our first big harvest. Summer squash and green beans displayed on our pretty new china.

Last night, we pulled two more monster squash out of the garden, and another large bunch of green beans. Tom also had a surprise for me... our cucumbers have started to come in!  They have been wild, viney looking plants for weeks now, with pretty yellow cucumber flowers constantly blooming and withering by the dozens. I was convinced that, since we hadn't even seen the start of a cucumber, perhaps it was too hot, or too late or whatever to actually get cucumbers this year. To my utter delight, I was wrong. There are dozens of little cucumberlings out there now! I see homemade pickles and dilly beans in my future!

One of many cucumberlings.

We were careful to follow the many charts that suggest what can be planted in August in Austin, and held back some cooler weather seeds which Tom has planted when appropriate in September and October. Mixed lettuces, winter squash, beets and carrots have all gone in the ground in the past few weeks, and are already starting to look good. I am not sure anyone can imagine how excited I am to make a roasted beet salad and serve it over my homegrown mixed baby greens!

Many varieties of lettuce and greens coming in!

Though I have been pulling my weight with watering, and harvesting, I have to give Tom a huge amount of credit for most of the planting, weeding and general TLC.  He absolutely loves being in the garden, and I have to say, the only thing that makes me happier than our home grown veggies is the peace and joy he has been getting from that little plot of land.

Best of Austin: Queso

Day: 375
High Temp: 96F (yay! it's not in the triple digits anymore!)

In an effort to continue celebrating my one-year anniversary in Austin, I bring you the somewhat anticipated (at least by Adam Simon) queso blog! Below, in my humble opinion, are the three places you have to hit if you want to eat the best queso in Austin.

It may come as no surprise to you that I love cheese in pretty much any form. From fried mozzarella sticks to the squeaky cheese curds of Wisconsin, to the sharpest and bluest blue, I love it all. When we were planning our move, I was excited to read about the reverence with which Austinites approach queso. I decided I wanted to try it all, but unfortunately, my year's research was by no means exhaustive. There are plenty of places I ate at this past year that have queso on the menu that I didn't try (do you really want to order queso at an Italian place?) There are probably dozens of places I haven't even heard of that serve a mean queso, but here is the best I've come across so far. And I promise to have fun exploring all the other queso the city has to offer in the years to come.

If you like it classic...
You have to try the queso at Maria's Taco Xpress. The queso here is smooth and rich with just a hint of spiciness. It tastes exactly how liquid cheese should taste. Served with a big pile of fresh tortilla chips, it's so good. I should also mention this place has a killer pollo guisado taco, nice and tart margaritas, and more quirky Austin ambiance that almost any other eatery I have been too.


If you like it chunky and spicy...
Go to Torchy's!  If you are visiting us, Tom will probably insist we go here anyhow, so why not order the Green Chili Queso while we are there? This queso has a nice cheesy base, but mixed in you will find a hearty portion of chopped green chilis. It's all topped with cilantro and a dab of their diablo sauce. The result is a spicy (but not too spicy), chunky dip and I personally could eat as a meal. The flavor is amazing, and is unlike anything I have found anywhere else.


If you like it with other stuff...
The venerable Kerbey Lane Cafe is the place to go. When I first started at UT, my boss was giving my tips on where to eat around town. Upon learning that I had never been to Kerbey Lane, she told me that I had to go, and even if I was there for breakfast, I had to get the Kerby Queso. Boy was she right. The queso itself is actually quit thin in consistency compared to most others in town. It is also noticeably paler in hue (most are orange). Don't let the thin consistency and pale color fool you. This queso has an amazing smoky flavor that is a show stopper. And if that weren't enough, they ladle it over a big mound of creamy guacamole and top it all with fresh pico.


I had originally envisioned this blog as a top 3 or a top 5, with me ultimately naming one queso "the best" but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I could not pick just one favorite, because they are all so unique and delicious.

I am toying with the idea of doing more Best of Austin blogs, but am not sure exactly what to write about. Best BBQ? Best use of Avocado? Best Tacos? I am particularly interested in finding the best brunch, as that is what I am missing most about Chicago recently, but I haven't found many good brunch places yet. A blog would be a good excuse to do more exploring, though. It's all food related but I am sure there are other things I could explore... What do you think?

Anniversaries

Day: 366
High Temp: 102F

Yesterday Tom and I celebrated two rather momentous anniversaries. It was exactly a year ago yesterday that we arrived to Austin, Texas to begin this crazy adventure. Coincidentally (and more importantly, I think) it was also our 7 year dating anniversary. We figured it would be the last dating anniversary we ever observe (given that soon we will have a wedding anniversary to celebrate instead) so we wanted to do it up right.

We headed down to our old neighborhood to have a celebratory dinner at South Congress Cafe, a hip fine-dining place that we happen to have a gift certificate to. (My co-workers at TimeLine gave us a generous gift certificate to this place as a going away gift, along with a membership to AMOA which I have gushed about here.) We had a fabulous meal, and spent the time reminiscing about our past, talking about the upcoming wedding, and marveling at the fact that moving to Texas had neither killed us, nor our relationship.

Oh, you want me to tell you what we ate? Well... okay, if you insist!

We started with the special appetizer of the night, Escargot. It was a huge portion (like a dozen at least), well presented in a puddle of melted butter, with a thick dusting of some sort of strong, dry cheese over top (it was an off-the-menu special, so I cannot recall exactly what type of cheese, but think of a really good parmesan or pecorino.) It also had red pepper flakes in it, to add some heat, and a ton of garlic.  It was Tom's first escargot experience, and he liked it. It makes me so happy that he is adventurous when it comes to food and is willing (and often excited) to try something new. 

Tom ordered the Bacon and Goat Cheese Stuffed Quail, and I had the Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Chipotle Cherry Sauce.  The quail was great, and the stuffing was amazing.  It was served with a blackberry gastrique that Tom found a bit too sweet, and was over fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprout hash. I thought the brussels sprouts were a little under cooked for my taste, but over all it was a really nice entree.  My duck was incredibly smoky with a sweet cherry sauce over the top. Again, I think this sauce was maybe a little too sweet (I couldn't detect any chipotle in it at all) however the mashed potatoes it was over were really lovely and spicy. When I got a bite with everything, it was a great balance, and reminded me of a fancy Thanksgiving dinner.

We ended the night with the Dried Cherry and Pecan Bread Pudding. Don't worry, it was served with Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream AND a bourbon creme anglaise-type sauce. It was delicious, and a very large portion. Happy anniversaries to us!

Lambert's Downtown BBQ, Take A Bow!

Day: 325
High Temp: 91F (Suck it Mid-Atlantic states!)

Hello friendly blog readers.  Before I jump into my glowing review of Lamberts, let me apologize for my extended hiatus from the blog. I try my best to blog at least once a week, but the past few have been an odd sort. Between my long weekend in the Bay Area, the fervent house search, and playing single parent to a demanding, high-energy pup for a week, I have been a bit frazzled.  I promise to be better in the upcoming weeks, and actually am cooking up something fun to commemorate our 1-year anniversary in Austin (just a month away). But now, with out further ado, I give you Lamberts Downtown BBQ!

Since arriving in Austin, Tom and I have become barbeque enthusiasts. Not only have we been blessed with many out of town visitors who must be introduced to the ways of Texas BBQ, but also, we just love the stuff.  We don't buy much meat for at home cooking, and we never buy pork or beef, so visiting our local BBQ haunts is a way for us both to satisfy our protein cravings.

I had not even heard of Lamberts when our friends Martin and Kelly suggested it as the destination for our evening out.  Martin and Kelly are, as I write this, packing up their lives here in Austin to move to my beloved Chicago (you know I am jealous!)  Kelly having finished her PhD here at UT this spring, has recently been hired to the theatre faculty at North Central College. This was sort of a going-away celebration, and perhaps our last chance to really hang out and talk before they head north.

Lamberts serves up what one might call "Fancy BBQ." You read that right.  Interspersed with the well smoked meats there are a lot of french-inspired preparations.  You can order a charcuterie plate for an appetizer, the mashed potatoes are made with creme fraiche and the asparagus served with bearnaise sauce, and you can order creme brulee for dessert. Some bbq lovers may scoff at this, but I have to ask you, do you honestly think that a classically trained chef could not improve upon your favorite old family recipes? I think there is something to be said for innovation, and frankly Lamberts' pairing of classical technique with homestyle southern cooking is one of the best types of "fusion" cooking I have ever experienced.

We all started with the yummy mini-corn muffins studded with jalapenos. Tom and I then shared a salad on the specials menu which included arugula, fresh Fredericksburg peaches (local!) and a yummy, soft and runny blue cheese.  It was divine, and a nice, light way to start a meal that would quickly turn into a gluttonous feast.

For my main course, I ordered the Cold Smoked Quail stuffed with rice, and served over two homemade cheese enchiladas.  The whole thing was bathed in a delicious ranchero sauce, and topped with two diminutive fried quail eggs. Oh my word. BBQ + TexMex at it's finest.  Tom had the Brisket, which he proclaimed to be the finest he had ever eaten. He went on for days about the tender, flavorful fatty layer, which enhanced the meat. He claims that most places just can't do fat like Lamberts. Most places it ends up more like gristle, chewy and unappetizing.

The table shared two family-style sides, the buttermilk potato salad (excellent, but not as good as my Aunt Christine's) and mac n' cheese (One of the best I have had in the city thus far.) And we ended, of course, with dessert. Tom and I shared the Chocolate and Chili Pudding. This was the only let down of the evening. As far as chocolate pudding goes, this one was actually quite delicious, however, when you advertise the presence of chili, you get me hoping there will be a kick, or even just a slight, back of the throat tickle. Unfortunately, there was not even a trace of chili flavor or heat in the pudding. And come to think of it, if I am being really picky, the texture was more like a Pots de Creme than an actual American-style pudding.

All in all, the place was really delicious.  While I would happily go back for dinner (or even to try brunch) any time,  I am really keen to try the happy hour, when the bar food is half off (including Spicy Deviled Eggs and Broiled Gulf Oysters) and the drinks are $2 off.

Read what I have said about Salt Lick here.
And I just looked back through my blog and could not find a single mention of in-town favorite Stubbs BBQ. I promise to write about it next time we go! They have the BEST side dishes of any Austin BBQ I have visited so far.

Camping: The Menu

Day: 236
High Temp: 72F

In anticipation for this weekends camping festivities (and the anticipated "unplugging" that will happen during that time) I thought I would give you all a preview of what is on the menu for the trip.

Those of you who have camped with me before know I like to do so in semi-gourmet style. This likely stems from the influence of my aunt and god mother Patty, who on a camping trip many many years ago made me one of the most memorable and influential meals of my life.  She cooked up beef stew from scratch in a dutch oven on the campfire. And topped that (literally) with an amazing peach cobbler cooked on the lid of the oven. If there is one thing I would give up s'mores for, it would have to be cobbler. That meal taught me that you can eat good ANYWHERE, if you only care to (including the bat-inhabited sandy shore of a river in Missouri.)

For my own camping trip, I plan the menu for days and make a special grocery trip just for the ingredients (I spent over $80 last night for this trip, although that did include some non-food stock up items we need to stock up on before we leave, like batteries and bugspray.) I also like to try and pack as light as possible, finding several different ways to use one ingredient (take the Dubliner cheese in this weekend's menu).

This trip will be a bit more challenging than past trips, as Tom and I got rid of our little table-top hibachi grill in the move to Austin. Having not yet replaced the grill, it was my challenge to come up with a menu that could be either A. cooked on a skewer OR B. cooked in a packet. So no pizza this time and no turkey burgers. That said, I am still pretty stoked for the food!

Without further ado, I give you the menu:

FRIDAY DINNER
-Chicken, spinach and feta sausages on whole wheat buns
-Campfire baked potatoes with Dubliner Cheese
-Rising Moon Spring Ale
-S'mores

SATURDAY BREAKFAST
-Campfire toasted Bagles with cream cheese
-Bananas, strawberries and blueberries in a homemade vanilla-lime-agave yogurt dressing
-Campfire percolated coffee

SATURDAY LUNCH
-Sliced turkey and Dubliner cheese sandwiches with tomato, cucumber and avocado
-Crudites (carrots, broccoli, cucumber) and Humus
-BBQ Chips
-More Rising Moon perhaps?

SATURDAY DINNER
-Classic campfire packet dinner with chicken sausage, leeks, whole garlic cloves, zucchini, mushrooms and potato (and more Dubliner, if there is any left!)
-Corn on the Cob
-Tempra Tantrum Wine (tempranillo grenache blend)
-S'mores (no originality here, I have to have them every night that we camp)

Sunday morning's breakfast will likely just be the leftover fruit salad and bagels/granola bars. It is nearly impossible to come up with creative breakfast ideas without traditional cooking implements, besides we rarely start a new fire on Sunday, knowing we will be heading home soon.

Happy camping!

Wink

Day: 151

High Temp: 60F

My birthday was last Sunday (if you were not one of the legions who wished me a happy happy over Facebook, let it be. I know you love me.) I turned 29. My last year in my 30's, and my last as a "single" lady.

Many years ago, when I first started celebrating my birthdays in Chicago with the Foxes, we started a tradition: Birthday girl chooses the location of celebration dinner, friends pay. This led to many amazing and memorable dinners in Chicago, including one evening when 4 of us managed to eat and drink over $500 worth of the goods from MK. This tradition also introduced me to one of my favorite restaurants in the known (to Lindsey) world, Green Zebra. I can't recall whose pick that was... Camilla?

Anyhow, Tom and I now carry on that tradition, and last Saturday night we had our first Austin birthday dinner at Wink. As well known to Austin foodies as any of the Tramonto restaurants are known to Chicago food lovers, Wink is a mecca to the slow-food enthusiasts in the city, and owned/operated by two truly gifted chefs.

We had an amazing meal, a nice bottle of wine, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. And to top that all off, we were greeted by first name by a really nice host, there were menus specially printed for us that said "Happy Birthday Lindsey" AND our waiter had the chefs in back sign my copy of the menu. One of the best, most special restaurant experiences I have ever had, anywhere!

For the curious, here is what I ate:

First Course

Seared Foie Gras with apple upside down cake and local honey

Main Course

Roasted duck breast served atop toasted bulgar, winter greens and shiitake mushrooms

Dessert (shared by Tom and I)

The Wink Trio: Lemon Meringue "egg" (a crispy meringue orb filled with amazing lemon curd)

Mini Creme Brule

El Rey Cake (Dense Chocolate cake served with port cherry sauce)

Everything was to die for! And we ate every bite. I hope each one of you will come visit me soon so that I have many reasons to go back!

Thanksgiving

FaDay: 100
High Temp: 73F (Don't hate me, but it is gorgeous here!)
Status: Unemployed (and possibly soon to be receiving unemployment benefits!!!)

Sometimes I hesitate to even tell people about what my Thanksgiving is like, afraid of the overwhelming jealousy that it will cause. This year, however, there are so many of you loyally reading this silly blog that I have decided to try and describe just what the Horan Thanksgiving is all about.

First off, I have to say that spending my Thanksgiving with the Horans comes at a great cost, namely missing the holiday with my own family. Even though this will be my 6th Thanksgiving with the Horan clan, I still get a little twinge of sadness mixed in with my excitement when we book the plane tickets, knowing it is one more year I wont be with my family. I miss Aunt Sally's cranberries, my mom's sweet potato casserole, and the many pies my dad makes. I miss making the pies too, as many years I was sous for Chef Bob. And I miss the black Friday ladies lunch on the Hill (girls, have a slice of tiramisu and think of me).

The trade off is that Tom and I get to spend Christmas in St. Louis. And if you have to miss your own family's fete, you should definitely beg for an invitation to this one.

My first several Horan Thanksgivings were spent at a cute cabin near the Mount Shasta National Forest in far northern California. When our cabin benefactor decided to sell his fabulous vacation home, we spent a year at Nan's (Tom's mom's) house in the Bay Area, vowing to find a new location. That new location came in the most unexpected ways, with the entrance of Dr. Kim into the Horan family mix. He was brave (crazy?) enough to let the group borrow his beautiful ski cabin, and so last year we moved the trip to Truckee, CA (located just a stones throw from the north shore of Lake Tahoe). And we did so well that he has agreed to let us come back!

No matter where the festivities occur, the general goal of the holiday weekend remains the same, utter relaxation. We all travel to be there, and we all stay together. That means no one has to drive home after the pie course, and you don't have to get dressed to go watch the football game with your family either. Indeed, it is common to find a majority of the family in pajamas well into the afternoon, until someone suggests a hike, or a trip to town to pick up some forgotten ingredients for the evenings meal. Enthusiastic and rambunctious card games are liable to break out at any time, and there is always a fire in the fireplace. There are games, crafts, naps, puzzles and frequent visits to the hot tub on the back deck (have you ever been in a hot tub when it is snowing? It's the best!). There is also lots of food (and wine).

The Thanksgiving meal is the ultimate in tradition, and as new family members join, it has been fun to see what they add to the mix. I am not sure what the Horans were doing for pies and cranberries before I arrived... The pie recipes are my father's of course, built upon the pie crust that my Great Grandmother used. This year, I will do 3 different types, apple, raspberry cream and chocolate (two chocolates, actually). And someone else may even make a pumpkin one.

Tom and I leave Austin first thing tomorrow morning, and will be settled at the cabin by early afternoon. I plan to spend most of my time reading , cooking, eating, drinking, crocheting and embroidering Christmas presents and puzzling. I will make professional work out of lounging about and enjoying the mountain air. I will relish putting on my boots, and my big, down sleeping bag jacket and stomping in the already plentiful snow. I will talk wedding planning with my soon-to-be sister Erin, who is also getting married in 2010. I will forget that I am unemployed. I will catch up with my California family, and miss my family in St. Louis, Chicago and Madrid. I will joyously welcome the official start of the Christmas season, even if that means that all that is left of the big Thanksgiving meal is sandwiched between bread on Sean's and Colin's plates.

I hope you all have celebrations to look forward to as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend In Review

Day: 93
High Temp: 62F (it feels like fall!)
Job Status: Unemployed


I normally don't like to write these recap type blogs. You know, the ones that throw a bunch of "this is what I did"s into one post. But, this past weekend was the first that felt like a normal weekend, not just a continuation of a week of days that I spend playing with my dog, searching for and applying to jobs, and complaining about the weather. This weekend reminded me of weekends I would have in places where I actually live, which made me feel, finally, like I may actually live here in Austin. I want to document it.


Friday night, Tom joined me at the Lustre Pearl, a really unique bar located just north of the river from us. It's an old house, which contains a bar in what I assume would have been the kitchen. It feels like a what might happened if someone through a really great party at an abandoned house. Anyhow, great atmosphere, and definitely a place I would go back to for a drink or two.


Following the Lustre Pearl, Tom had to head to work for a while, so me and my new friend Sara (yes, new friend! and NO, she does not attend UT!! sweet!) headed to Fado on 6th street downtown for a pint or two, and a double Jameson, and... well, you see where this is going. We had a great time, and she got me home early enough so that Homer wasn't too pissed off at having to be home alone.

Saturday we hosted a small gathering at our apartment for a reading of one of Tom's new plays. A group of his friends from UT came by, and it was generally fun to play hostess for a night. We made Cuba Libres and Dark and Stormys, and served appetizers. After the reading, we all headed to Doc's, a local bar for some food, and a few rounds of shuffle board.

On Sunday, we once again gathered with the UT crowd to head out to Driftwood, Texas for some of the best barbecue on earth at the Salt Lick. The Michner Center (fancy writing program) at UT invited all the creative writers at the Univeristy, and their families, out for a big banquet. Salt Lick serves these big, family style meals where they basically just keep bringing tons of food until you surrender. This was our second time at the Salt Lick, the first was when my parents were here--my dad's pick and as per usual, genius. I know most people would say the highlight of the meal is the meat (brisket, chicken, smoked sausage and pork ribs are all served), however my votes go to the amazing sauce (mustardy, a little spicy and a little sweet), the warm German-style potato salad, and the peach cobbler. Again, if any of you ever get off your lazy asses to come visit me, this place will be high on the agenda!

So, it was like a totally normal weekend, where we saw and hung out with friends, and had actual things to do. Now I am looking forward to my brand new Book Club on Tuesday night and the upcoming annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to California.